Bygold is an ancient Norman name, that would have been used in Britain soon after the Conquest of the island in 1066. This name was given to a person who was a Norman or an excessively religious person. Normans were referred to as Bigots by the French, although the meaning of the word is unknown. After the 15th century, a nickname adapted from the phrase by God took on the form Bigot. There is some suggestion that the name in Normandy had been Wigot, and there was a line descended from Wigot de St.Denis, a great nobleman of Normandy.

Early Origins of the Bygold family

The surname Bygold was first found in Essex at Dunmow and Finchingfield, where they were granted lands by King William after the Norman Conquest in 1066. Roger Bigod is also listed in Domesday Book; he was a Sheriff, with large land holdings in Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk. Marston-Biggott in Somerset was an ancient family seat. "This place derives the affix to its name from the Bigott family, to whom the manor for several centuries belonged, and the site of whose ancient mansion is still marked by the moat." [1]CITATION[CLOSE]Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.

Bygold Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Bigot, Bigode, Bygod, Begod, Bigod, Wigot, Bidgood and many more.

Early Notables of the Bygold family (pre 1700)

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Roger le Bigod (1150-1220), son of Hugh Bigod, 2nd Earl of Norfolk, who was recorded on the Falkirk Roll. This... Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bygold Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bygold family to Ireland

Some of the Bygold family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.Another 90 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Bygold family to the New World and Oceana

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Bygold name or one of its variants: Richard Bidgood who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1638; and V. Bigot who settled in San Francisco Cal. in 1851. In Newfoundland, Benjamin Bidgood was a juror in St. John's in 1751.